


Error

by SomewhereNotHere



Category: Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Error (Music Video), Angst, Established Relationship, Feelings, Fluff, Inspired by Music, M/M, Pain, Tragedy, forewarning; souji's name in this is souji narukami, graphic depictions of violence tag used juuuuuuust in case, previous tag used as it's music video inspired, wasn't expecting there to be a specific tag for it tbh but nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-06-03
Packaged: 2018-07-12 02:36:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7081315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomewhereNotHere/pseuds/SomewhereNotHere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“No, I know a place we can go.”</p><p> <i>‘The last resort…’</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Error

**Author's Note:**

> The MV that inspired this; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF8kySIcWNw 
> 
> I've had this song on repeat every time I've been working on this, so I'd recommend readers maybe doing the same (or at least to watch the video and listen once).

“What’s that face for?”

“Just admiring the view.”

“Geez, you’re unbelievable.”

Yosuke smiles in a way that takes Souji’s breath away; that kind of smile he wants directed his way for the rest of his life.

_‘I wouldn’t tell you that, and I’m sorry.’_

They sit there on the river bank, where they’ve been so many times before. It’s a place that brings an array of memories to mind, from back when they brawled it out to become even, all the way to when Yosuke confessed his feelings to Souji.

It’s things like that, Souji thinks, is what is so interesting about Yosuke; he never thought that he’d be the one to say it first, which is why Souji was a fumbling mess with his words at the time.

“A good unbelievable, right?”

“Would you shut up!?”

He’s laughing, and it’s hard for Yosuke to hold back from doing the same. The jokes and the teasing may be embarrassing at times, but he’s grown rather fond of them.

__‘_ There you were… blushing, but composed… Far more brave than I was.’_

If Souji could go back and relive that time again and again, he would.

_‘Yet I can only relive so many like this, otherwise…’_

Otherwise Yosuke may never remember anything at all.

Souji presses the button on his face visor, regrettably changing the scene in front of him to the harsh reality he’s living every day.

He sits at a desk in a grey rectangle shaped room, filled with Kirijo technology. The room is metal and cold, not fit for sleeping in, even though he has been for the last five months.

His phone that is turned off on the desk is the only thing in the room which is his own, save from the clothes on his back and the spare uniform in a bag that is beside his feet.

Souji rotates between the two outfits, washing himself and the clothes in a connecting room with only a toilet and a sink. It takes a while to clean them and his body using the sink, but it does the job considering he can’t use the toilet for such things, only for relieving himself.

There are three large crates underneath the desk, in the room he spends most of his time in, filled to the brim with food and water. It looks like a sufficient amount to the eye, however with one crate in fact being empty from the first week of his being here, he’s rationed everything since.

Souji does not dare look himself in the mirror for fear of forgetting the whole point of why he is here, shut off from the rest of the world.

It’s not like he can go to the others for help when they’d be so strongly against it; bringing someone back from death in any way, shape or form, is not something that should be done.

_‘But it should… it should, this is my fault, and I’m correcting my mistakes…’_

Souji coughs violently, the dust in the air irritating his throat, and the force of it strains his upper body. He’ll have to fix that later.

Looking to the opposite end of the room, his eyes fall upon the whole reason he is in the situation in the first place. Resting peacefully against an upright operating table is Yosuke, that smile Souji loves on his sleeping face.

Except, he’s not sleeping, nor breathing, nor really ‘Yosuke’ right now.

There are metal wires that are attached to his wrists, legs, and chest, keeping him in a state of ‘standby’. The metal skeleton visible at the end of his left arm is painful to look at, which is why Souji is adamant to have the last part fixed so he can finally upload his memories.

It’s been six months since Yosuke died in the car accident– No, it wasn’t an accident, but someone out to end their lives.

The Shadow Operatives had been targeted that day by an opposing enemy of the Kirijo group, and it just so happened that in the car along with Fuuka and Mitsuru had been Yosuke and himself, only there to discuss a few things before returning back to Inaba to inform the rest of the Investigation Team that everything was okay.

Except it wasn’t that day; Mitsuru walked away with only a few fractures to her arms, while Fuuka had been in a coma for a month, and as for Yosuke?

Well, Souji thought that since he was right next to him, he’d get away with only needing parts of an Anti-Shadow weapon to fix him too… but that was not to be.

Yosuke had been impaled, by then unrecognisable car parts breaking his bones and slicing various parts of his body due to the shear force of the crash, and the blood had been overwhelming.

The apparent rush to a specialised hospital ward owned by the Kirijo group felt nothing like a rush to Souji as time seemed to slow down around him.

The further wait at the hospital had been torture, and to then be told that Yosuke hadn’t made it, well… he had not been able to deal with it at all.

Why couldn’t it have been him in his place instead? Why couldn’t they have just talked over the phone like Yosuke suggested, why did Souji have to insist on them being there in person? If it wasn’t for that, maybe Yosuke wouldn’t have had to suffer.

Souji withdrew a lot from the group, not entirely, but enough for the others to notice something wasn’t quite right with the way their leader – more importantly, their friend – was acting.

However, as time went on it got worse, and he stopped talking to them altogether. He stopped taking phone calls, moved away to where he is now, never to turn his phone on out of fear of someone finding out what he was doing.

It was Labrys that gave him the tip-off, about a place abandoned by the Kirijo group, known for all the equipment and research left under lock and key.

“If lookin’ back on memories will help, then do it, Souji.” She had thrown a silver key his way at the time, “Take Yosuke with ya, but don’t do anything stupid, ya hear?”

There was no way she could have known that Souji would attempt what he has been focused on for months, the most likely meaning behind her words being “don’t you go and end yourself because of this”.

Perhaps there had been a niggling thought at the back of his mind at the time, no interest in attempting such a thing, but rather thinking that… really, what was the point?

“I’ll have you back with us, Yosuke,” Souji speaks no louder than a whisper, fiddling with a soldering iron and various small pieces of technology on the desk, “I promise.”

The electronic face visor resting on his lap is what he had found when he first arrived, exactly what Labrys had meant when referring to looking back on memories. The item not only showed him his own memories, but the memories of others too… though with a price.

The more he watched the memories of someone who had passed, the more muddled they became. The first time Souji had used it, he almost wiped away all of Yosuke’s memories before watching the warning playbacks from researchers who had made the item.

It was due to these playbacks that Souji was able to figure out a way of possibly bringing Yosuke back. Using an Anti-Shadow weapon skeleton, the information on the all but now ancient computers, the visor for his memories… it all seemed too impossible, too unreal, until he began to work.

Souji was only supposed to be here for a month, yet the isolation and the smell of Yosuke’s body at the time had driven him to a point of insanity.

Leaning back in the chair, he attaches the wires he’s working on to the hand that’s missing. Yosuke’s hand feels nothing like the robotic nature it really is, not with the mix of his own and artificial skin shielding the entirety of the metal.

“Still as soft as ever,” he lightly strokes the thumb, holding the hand much like he really would if he were alone with Yosuke, “It’s still you.”

And this is why he’s doing it; it’s still Yosuke, and it _will_ be Yosuke, not some faker that will pretend to be. With all of his memories, original salvageable body parts, his stupid hair that Souji loves to run his fingers through so much…

The only thing that’s different is the help of the Anti-Shadow weapon parts to bring everything together, to make it work. If it wasn’t for such parts, Souji himself would be without an eye and a leg.

_‘And the rest of it…’_

There’s a mirror on the wall, dusty, but if he really wanted to look he’d be able to see his reflection staring right back at him. He doesn’t have to look to know the truth; Souji’s much more like how Yosuke is now than he used to be.

It’s not just an eye, not just a leg, but so much more. It hurt, by God did it hurt when the technical equipment – much like a car assembly point – took him apart and pieced him back together all at the same time.

If Souji stopped seeing, or even living at that point, he doesn’t remember it; only the excruciating pain of all the tools ripping at each layer of his body, and then… nothing. It was over just like that, and the next thing he knew he was waking up with slightly colder skin than normal.

He steals a quick glance at himself in the mirror for the first time since he arrived, and he knows he looks more of a mess than he’d like to admit. He still has a heart, half human half Anti-Shadow weapon, his body is a mix of living cells and metal, but at least Yosuke won’t be alone.

“Guess I was worried for nothing.” he speaks quietly to himself, looking back at himself in the mirror for longer, not feeling any need to stop what he’s doing; in fact, it has the exact opposite effect and makes him feel all the more driven to finish this once and for all.

There’s still food and drink left in two of the crates underneath the desk, something that even with all of his new body parts he still needs. Souji is at least thankful that the strain on his body isn’t as bad as what it could have been – though still a major concern – if he was… dare he think ‘normal’. This is normality now.

“I’ll treat us to an all-you-can-eat buffet once we’re out of here.” Souji chuckles quietly, and it’s the first time in a while that he’s heard that sound from himself.

The wiring he’s working on now is almost complete and all it needs is to be attached. The final physical piece of the puzzle, and then the only thing left is to transfer over Yosuke’s memories.

Souji’s stomach feels like it does a back flip, whether due to the lack of nutrition or pressure he’s not quite sure, but it’s a nerve-racking moment as he slides in the chair towards Yosuke.

He takes his left arm, holding the hand to what is just a stump of electrical wires at that point, and begins to fix the wires up. So far so good, everything fits exactly as expected and no part of the connection fails.

Souji can barely keep his hands from shaking as he finishes what he’s doing, the tears he promised himself he wouldn’t let out start falling from his eyes, and his breathing comes in short raspy gasps. He doesn’t want to mess this up, he can’t mess this up…

“Yosuke,” his voice wobbles and his lip quivers, “Yosuke…”

There’s still one last thing to do.

He looks to the visor on the desk, sliding in his chair once again to pick it up, then slides right on back to where he was, facing Yosuke in front of him. Souji takes a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds, then lets it out rather audibly.

Souji places it over Yosuke’s face, carefully making sure that it is secure enough so that the transfer goes smoothly. Once in place, he presses the button and sits back in the chair, watching the image on the visor begin to change. It’s reversed for his view, but he can make out the numbers just fine as the percentage slowly rises with each passing moment.

Slow and steady the numbers climb, and Souji knows if he just sits there staring it will only be slower, so perhaps, maybe… he should check his phone. The one thing he banned himself from doing all the time he’s been here.

_‘It may be time for that ban to be lifted…’_

It’s more nervous thinking about what awaits when he turns it on, more-so than watching the visor. It means it’s not just him and Yosuke any more, it means catching up on messages he’s not sure he’s ready to face, even though he’d have to face them some day.

Much like he anticipated, as soon as the internal system has booted up, a chorus of notification sounds echo around the room. The guilt he pushed aside finally settles in the pit of his stomach, and for a moment he wonders if he’ll have to double over and angle himself towards the empty crate, yet that urge thankfully doesn’t follow.

It’s a full minute later when his phone finally stops going ‘ping’, and he draws the strength from God knows where to check the screen. He can’t bear to face the voice mails left, so all he does is read the messages.

<Kujikawa, Rise>  
SENPAIIIIIII~!!☆ UR A BIG MEANIE RUNNIN OFF!! ;^; Please come home!!!

<Amagi, Yukiko>  
Narukami-kun, it’s been more than a few weeks. We know you’re upset, but has something happened? This isn’t like you, and we’re all worried. Please get back to us as soon as you can.

<Shirogane, Naoto>  
SENPAI PLS RESPOND IF YOU ARE OKAY. Y/N.

<Satonaka, Chie>  
What are you playing at, Narukami!? This isn’t funny anymore!!! You’ve been gone for months and everyone is freaking out!!!

<Tatsumi, Kanji>  
Where the hell are you, senpai!?!? You’re making Nanako cry, damn it! HELL! YOU’RE MAKING ME CRY AND I AIN’T AFRAID TO ADMIT THAT.

<Teddie>  
Sensei it’s scary… Nanako-chan is scared… we’re all scared…

<Dojima, Ryotaro>  
Your friend Teddie is here, watching over Nanako while I’m out on a search and rescue for you. Family shouldn’t hurt family, you know. I expect an apology for Nanako when you return, it’s not fair for her to be kept awake at night because of her tears.

The messages go on and on, the frantic pleads for his return becoming more intense with every message. It’s all the mentions of Nanako that finally have Souji pushing himself off the chair, diving towards the empty crate to throw up. It burns his throat, all the acid from the lack of substances his body could be ridding itself of now if he were able to eat more than just rations, but at least he hasn’t really wasted all that. In some way, he counts himself lucky.

“Sou… ji…” he hears a faint voice from behind him, wondering for a moment whether the dizzy headache he now suffers is playing tricks on him.

Souji wipes his mouth with a cloth that has seen better days from his pocket, staying still for just a moment before he slowly stands upright and turns back to face Yosuke.

The transfer is complete. It stuns Souji for a while, seeing Yosuke stir as if he had just been in a deep sleep all this time and not suffered what he actually went through.

Souji removes the visor from Yosuke’s face, placing it carefully on the floor beside where he sits. Stroking his cheek with his thumb, Souji can’t hold back his tears from falling hard this time, not when Yosuke’s eyes flutter open and he’s met with such a warm expression.

“Souji…? Hey, don’t cry,” Yosuke’s voice is full of concern as Souji collapses to his knees in front of him, hiding his face in his lap, “It’s okay, partner, I’m okay.”

The way Yosuke runs his hands through Souji’s hair, calming him as if he were a child is welcoming beyond belief. He’s missed the feeling more than words can say, missed Yosuke more than anything in the world, and now he has him back and right here before him.

“Yosuke, we can’t stay here.”

“I know.”

It’s not the expected “huh?” reaction Souji thought his words would be met with, but in some way he knew this might happen all the same. The visor has transferred all of his memories back, right up to the last moments of the crash and the ordeal at the hospital there after.

“Do you… Did it hurt, when you–”

“Souji, don’t do that. I’m fine, forget the damn crash. I know I want to…”

That’s all Yosuke needs to say. There’s no use in asking about the pain, his last thoughts during his last moments, not when he’s been given the chance to continue his life thanks to Souji’s own hard work. It wouldn’t be fair.

“Okay,” he nods, looking up and is met with a kiss on the lips, “Mm, Yosuke…”

“It feels like forever since I’ve done that, even if before… you know, we had such an awesome make-out session.”

“Did you really just say that?”

It has Souji laughing, _really_ laughing, a sound that is so carefree and relaxed compared to how tense he had been before. Perhaps Yosuke has found the confidence through this to be able to speak his mind and not fumble with his words like he used to. It’s something that Souji will likely miss, but perhaps Yosuke’s new-found confidence will be a new interesting match to Souji’s own forwardness with him. It’s hard not to smile about.

“I guess I did. Souji, you…” Yosuke pauses and Souji removes himself from his lap, “Thanks. For this and, well, not giving up on me… but dude, you really need a shower and to eat something, you look and smell like hell.”

“With nothing but a small sink, it’s hard to–”

“Narukami, this is the head of the Kirijo Group speaking. We have the building surrounded, and would appreciate your cooperation immensely.”

_‘Ah…’_

Souji had played it out again and again in his head, all the different scenarios that may be thrust upon him at any time during the course of the months of him being here, however he did not factor in the possibility of being found at such a touching moment. He had, of course, feared being caught right at the last second before finishing his task, but to be caught right after…

It was too much of a cruel and sick joke for it to be true.

“Souji…?”

“We have to go, I’m not… I’m not letting them get to you, no matter how much they think they’re helping me, I’m not–”

“Hey,” Yosuke holds his face between his hands, lightly stroking his cheeks, “We’re in this together, partner. Until the very end.”

“Narukami, you have twenty seconds before my team enters the building, and they will use force if need be. Your lives are not in danger, yet there is no need for this to be a difficult situation… not with your friends waiting for you.”

Souji can hear in Mitsuru’s voice that this is not the type of situation she wishes she was in, much like himself, but… even if the rest of the Investigation Team are there waiting for him, would they really accept how Yosuke is now, alive but not completely the same as before? Would they even accept Souji considering he has the same type of metal inside him too?

_‘No one should be able to cheat death, huh?’_

It makes him feel sick, but he can hardly guess their thoughts, their feelings, anything at all. One could say they’ve almost become strangers in his mind over the last few months; strangers that he still cares deeply for, but is scared of all the same.

“Let’s go.”

Souji takes Yosuke’s hand, leading him out of the room and down a dimly lit corridor. The floor, walls, and roof are all the same grey metal like the room they were in before, the entire building very reminiscent of a secret military base like the ones found in movies. In fact, it’s true purpose had been a research facility, only to be shut down when the Kirijo Group noticed its researchers became too enthralled with the idea of bringing back past family members that had been gone for years. The research had never been meant for such things, only to provide those with life altering injuries a faster more developed alternative to what was out there already.

If they never wanted anyone to find the building, least of all succeed with the research left behind, they should have been rid of it right from the start.

It’s not Souji’s fault that a place like this gave him the miracle he hoped for all this time. He wasn’t about to apologise for that.

“Souji, wait–!” Yosuke shouts, bringing Souji back from his wandering thoughts, “Looks like they’re heading down this way, we gotta backtrack.”

“No, I know a place we can go.”

_‘The last resort…’_

A room not far from where they are now, somewhere Souji wished they had no need to go near, yet with the ever growing sound of footsteps getting louder, there’s no way they’ll make it out of the building. Souji would rather they stick together than be torn apart, even if…

“Got it,” Yosuke doesn’t question their route, not when there’s no time for distractions, and continues to follow Souji down yet another corridor, “You know, this kinda reminds me of that time we had to run away from the Reaper when you just had to open that damn shiny chest.”

Souji laughs, “It does, but I promise there’s no Reaper this time.”

Further along they reach a room with the door hanging off its hinges, and Yosuke can see inside that it looks like an experiment room. Once through the door, the apparatus on the walls become more obvious, along with a large metal platform in the middle of the room surrounded by equipment Yosuke can’t quite figure out what it’s for.

“Looks like something you’d find in a car manufacturing warehouse, right?”

“Now that you mention it… This place is kinda creepy with its “nothing but metal” look going on. It could kinda do with some colour. Orange, maybe.“

Souji walks over to the far left corner of the room, where a dusty old screen hangs down from the cieling. There are two electronic face visors hanging down beside it, exactly the same as the one Souji used before. Grabbing them both, he turns the screen on and selects the right settings he wants.

"Yosuke, you know…” he clears his suddenly dry throat, “We can’t stay together. Not like this, which is why…”

Souji finishes setting up the screen, the equipment in the room begins whirring as the system boots up, and he walks back over to Yosuke.

“Not like this…” Yosuke repeats, looking at the visors, slowly piecing together what Souji might mean.

“No,” Souji speaks quieter, softer, as if he’s afraid to say anything at all, “But like… this.”

Souji hands the visors to Yosuke, then proceeds to unbutton his shirt. For a moment, it has Yosuke utterly confused, before that confusion quickly turns into panic as he watches Souji rip at his own skin before his eyes.

“Souji–!”

“Wait,” he pushes Yosuke back, continuing right where his heart is, “It doesn’t hurt. I promise.”

Yosuke still winces even with Souji’s attempt at comforting words, yet he can’t look away and stares as the left part of Souji’s chest begins to look less like human skin and more like the Anti-Shadow weapon shell that makes up the majority of his body.

He stops once he sees the tears in the corners of Yosuke’s eyes; the broken look on his face all too much to bear.

“I’m sorry,” Souji whispers, pressing his lips against Yosuke’s forehead, “I’m sorry. I wanted you to know you’re not alone.”

“You didn’t need to do it like that, you asshole.” Yosuke hisses through small hiccups as Souji presses more soft kisses against his skin.

“I did, because this is the only way out.”

Souji places his hand against his heart, right where silver and crimson intertwine and burn the skin away from his hand.

“The only way out? Souji, I don’t understand–”

“Narukami, we are locked onto your location, I’m afraid you have nowhere to hide.”

_‘No, we’re running out of time.’_

“I need you to trust me. Please…”

It’s the first time Yosuke has heard Souji beg, truly beg for anything from him, and with Souji’s lips suddenly upon his own, tongue invading his mouth, it’s hard to question anything at all.

“I,” Yosuke breathes heavily afterwards, clenching his fists, “I trust you, Souji. Whatever is going on inside that head of yours, I’m with you.”

“I need us to lie down on the platform. That’s all we need to do.”

With a nod, Yosuke does as Souji asks. It’s cold, even against his own skin, but with Souji lying down beside him it’s not uncomfortable at all… until the metal cuffs clamp down on his wrists, legs, and waist.

Alarmed, Yosuke struggles against them, cursing under his breath as the more he struggles the tighter they get, yet one look at Souji causes him to stop moving entirely. There’s a peaceful look on his face; a look Yosuke recognises from the times Souji would watch a smiling Nanako, or even himself when he was happy in Souji’s presence.

“Souji…? Ah–!? AHHHHHHH–”

“I’m so sorry, Yosuke,” Souji cries, watching as the electronic equipment starts to pull apart Yosuke’s body, piece by piece, “If I could take away the pain, I would, I’m sorry this is the one thing I couldn’t do.”

“SOUJI, MAKE IT STOP!”

Yosuke’s screeches are worse than seeing his tears, and the sounds of Souji’s crying are not enough to drown out the echo of pain around the room.

“MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP–”

“Narukami!?” Mitsuru’s voice is all but drowned out by the desperation of Yosuke beside him, mixed with what he knows is the sound of his friends crying out for him down the furthest end of the corridor.

_‘It should be Yosuke they’re calling for, not me.’_

Souji keeps his eyes closed as his own body is pulled apart, the guilt of no pain for himself resting heavy on his chest while his ears are deafened by Yosuke’s almost incoherent pleading.

“SOUJI, PLEASE, MAKE IT–”

Suddenly there is no sound, nothing but ringing in Souji’s ears, and he opens his eyes. He looks to the side of him, fearing that maybe this isn’t going to work, and Yosuke has been put through all this for nothing, when…

There’s nothing but Yosuke’s face now, and reading his lips Souji can hear the “I love you” in his head. It makes him happy.

“I love you too.” Souji speaks, not knowing whether his voice is working at all.

Souji closes his eyes for the final time, his world completely dark and soundless, and in some ways it’s the most comforting thing he’s felt in a long time. Complete silent bliss… and then everything stops.

…

On top of a platform lies a silver and crimson heart.

_“What’s that face for?”_

_“Just admiring the view.”_

_“Geez, you’re unbelievable.”_

_Yosuke smiles in a way that takes Souji’s breath away; that kind of smile he wants directed his way for the rest of his life._

_They sit there on the river bank, where they’ve been so many times before. It’s a place that brings an array of memories to mind, from back when they brawled it out to become even, all the way to when Yosuke confessed his feelings to Souji._

_It’s things like that, Souji thinks, is what is so interesting about Yosuke; he never thought that he’d be the one to say it first, which is why Souji was a fumbling mess with his words at the time._

_“A good unbelievable, right?”_

_“Would you shut up!?”_

_He’s laughing, and it’s hard for Yosuke to hold back from doing the same. The jokes and the teasing may be embarrassing at times, but he’s grown rather fond of them._


End file.
